Resolutions

Acts 20:17-

Acts 20:17–38 CSB

Now from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church. When they came to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility, with tears, and during the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. You know that I did not avoid proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching you publicly and from house to house. I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. “And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what I will encounter there, except that in every town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions are waiting for me. But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace. “And now I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will ever see me again. Therefore I declare to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, because I did not avoid declaring to you the whole plan of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears. “And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified. I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that I worked with my own hands to support myself and those who are with me. In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. There were many tears shed by everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him, grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

This passage has been a particularly important one to me over the years - I’ve returned to it time and time again. A couple things that I’ve noticed:

Paul does not let fear take over, but instead he continues to speak the truth to the Ephesians. He presses into the difficult conversations with truth. Resolved: I resolve to not shrink back from the difficult conversations, but instead to do my best to press into conflict so that I and others may grow in our faith and walk with God.

Even after spending a lot of time with the Ephesians, he does not move on from the very important job of sharing the Gospel. Although he has spent many years with them - the Gospel is still just as vital on the last day He was with them as it was on the first day. This tells me that I, and we, should never grow tired of sharing the Gospel with one another. Resolved: I resolve to share my faith with at least one person each week in 2020.

At the end of this passage, it is clear that these men shared a close bond with one another. They were so close that there was crying as Paul was sent out. I believe this to be one of the most attractive aspects of the Church - we share a bond that is deeper than blood family. In a world that is starving from loneliness, isolation, feelings of inferiority, and lostness, the thought of a family like that makes Christianity attractive. Resolved: I resolve to make myself available to my family and my church family through thick and thin, even at the expense of myself at times, speaking the truth in love both in corporate settings and one-on-one. AND I resolve to pursue a more than once or twice per week contact with people in my church family. If people know that we are followers of Jesus by our love for one another, one of the most important things I can do is to love you all well.

I resolve to share my faith with at least one person each week in 2020.